Device for disclose shunting of the circuits around electric meters.



. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. W. L. SAUNDERS. DEVICE T0 DISOLOSE SHUNTING OF THE CIRCUITS AROUND ELECTRIC METERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27.1905.

INVENTOR. WILLIAM L..$AUNDER$ ATTORNEY.

J vices to Disclose Shuntm-g STATES-PATENT WILLIAM- L. saunnans; or

DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO DANIEL K. HICKEY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

DEVICE 'ro mscnosn snim'rmo or m crnc'trrrs mom nmc'rnrc m'rnns. I

,DERS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Deof the Circuit Around Electric Meters, of which the follow ing is a specification'l to disclose shunting ofthe current in the wire leading into an electric meter and the service wire leaving it and has for object the detection of attempt made by unauthorized and fraudulentlg inclined persons to cut the meter outof t e electric circuit for the of preventing registration of electricity consumed. I attain this object by transposition of theterminals of the two service wires at each interruption of the current or with other words to connect each of the two leading-in wires with a different service .wire each time the flow of electricity is arrested, either by entinguishihg the lights on the circuit, reversing the service switch or rheostat, or transposing the circuit from one dynamo to another as in extensive lighting and power plants which usually change, dynamos twice 1n twent -four hours'. t

I attam the above named results by the use of a simple attachment interposed between the leading-in andservice wires, as

illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which line 77,. Fig. 5,

Figure 1+- -re resents a diagrammatical view of the circult in connection with the main parts of the meter mechanism and of my at.- tachment, Fig. 2an underneath view of the insulating base the course of t e current after one of the above named interru tions has occurred, Fig. 3-a plan view 0 the base-plate, Fig. 1'aperspective inverted view of the teetering or oscillating lever of the device, Fig. 5 a front elevation of the device, the base having been shown in section and the core of themagnet in the energized position, Fig. 6-9. verti-v cal section through the attachment, the core being denergized and the lever being reversed and 7 a vertical section taken along the shown in elevation. v

Similar. reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the various views.

Specification of Letter! Patent. Application filed June 27. 1906 Serial No. 267.279-

Iplate of my device showing" the solenoid having been- Patented Nov. 19, 1807.

In Fig. 1, let Are resent the armature and B the field of the iving mechanism of the meter, C the commutator, E and F the leading-in wires, G- and H the service wires and M the wire or connection employed by the fraudulently inclined consumer to shunt the circuit in the leading-in wire F and the service wire H which form the meter loop when 1 the switch is in the osition shown in Fig. 1. My invention relates to a device adapted My attachment is preferably located in,

the meter-box or it may be placed in a separate casing, depending on circumstances as well as on the st le and size of the meter. It consists of a su1tably supported base plate 5, u on which is mounted the vertically exten ing solenoid 6, comprising the coil 7 and soft iron core 8. The solenoid is held in elevation above thebase late by an upright 9 to which it is secure and which extends from the side of the base. Plate ,5 is furthermore' rovided with a centrally located metal for ed' bearing-block 10 to which is fulcrumedat 11 the oscillating lever 12.

Eight mercury wells, 13, 14, 15,16, 17, 18,

19 and 20 are formed by de 'ressions' in the upper surface of the base p ate" and are div1 ed into two sets of four, at equal distances from the center of plate 5. The

wells comprising each set are furthermore arranged into two pairs, placed along parallel lines, transversely of the base plate and the mercury in each well of the two sets connects with one of a series of set screws 21, screwed into the lower surface of the insulating base.

Lever 12, which is composed of insulating material, is provided at each of its outer extremities with metal contact-plates .22,

oppositely secured along the sides of said 24, the vertex 25 of which. extends transversely of said lever. At each side of this projection and at equal distances from fulther to at 28. Normally, when t e core is in its raised position and one of the extremities of lever 12 is down, the lower sharp end of the wedge extends above the inclined surface of the projection 24 on the raised end of the leveiy'so that should, by reason of demagnetization of the solenoid, the core descend, the lower edge of. wedge 27 shall enter the groove 26 on the corres onding side of fulcrum 11.- The force-wit which this action takes place is suflicient to reverse the position of the lever Having thus explained .the mechanical features of my device, I will now proceed to describe its operation as well as its connection with the various wires leading to and from the meter. To facilitate this explanation, the solenoid as illustrated in Fig. 1, has been separated from the base and the latter shown in an inverted position.

Base 5, having been secured to any convenient portion of the meter,-the set screws leading to the outer pair of mercury wells at each end of the base, are respectively connected with the leading-in wires E and F and the service wires G and v For convenience in describing, I'shall designate the ends of the base corresponding with the leading-in and service wires, respectively as'the leading-in end and the service end of the apparatus.

The two wells 13 and 14, comprising the outermost pair at the leading-in end are electrically connected by means of wires 29 and 30 with the diagonally opposite wells 18 and 17 of the inner pair'at the service end of the device, while the two wells 19 and 20 of the outermost pair at the service end have been electrically connected withthe directly .op osite wells 15 and 16 of the innermost palr-at the leading-in. end by means of wires 31 and 32. 'Now, supposing that the leading-in wire F, passing through the meter has been connected with. the service wire H by means of the shunt M, and the fingers 23 at the leading-in end of the device are dipped in the mercury wells, as illustrated in Figs 1 and 5, the current of electricit flowing through F, which under norma ally connected wells 13 and 15 and wire 32 to the service wire H, now flows directly to circum-- stances would have passed throu h the field of the meter and by,means of t e-.electrice current at G, being connected with the coil I of the solenoid, passes therethrough' by means of the wire 31 and connected wells 14 and 16 to wire E. The meter is in this case deprived of the greater portion of the electric current and in consequence does not register the full amount of electricity consumed. Now presuming that the current of electricity is interru tedbyreason of any of 'the causes hereto ore enumerated, the solenoid, being momentarily denergized,

will allow the core'to drop and wedge 27' sliding along the inclined surface and engaging the groove 26 at the raised end of the lever will cause the latter to reverse its position with the result that the contact between wells Band 15 and 14 and 16 at the leading-in end' is broken and'wells 17 and 18 are respectively connected with wells 19 v and 20 by means of fingers 23 on plates 22 at the'corres onding or service end of the device, (see igs'. 2 and 6). The wells 13 and 14 at the leading-in end being connected withthe diagonally opposite wells 18 and 17 at the service end, the current coming through wire F'will the moment the flow of electricity'is resumed, instead of passing to H and returning through G, cross over 1 through wells 19 and 17 and wire 30 to the wire E, thus establishing a short circuit between F and E causing the blowing of the fuse, and consequent interruption on the current. It may thus. be said that the use of my device in case a shunt is passed in the circuit wires F and H, will, at each interruption of the current,'substantially reverse the connections between the leading in and service wires.

Having thus described'my invention what- I claim is v 1. The combination with an electric meter of suitable means adapted to reverse the. 7

connections between the service wires and the leading in wires at each interruption of the current.

2. The combination with an electric meter of means interppsed between the leading-in and service wires and adapted to reverse the connections between the said service wires and leading in wires at each interruption of the current 3. The combination with an electric meter of a terminal changing switch interposed between the leading-1n and the service wires and adapted to reverse the connections between'the said service wires and leading in wires at each interruption of the current.

4. The combination with an electric meter of an electrically actuated switch interposed between the leading-in and the service wires and adapted to reverse the connections between the said service-wires and leading in of a switch comprising a base having a pluoid-core to cause the former to reverse its position each time the solenoid is denergized.

6. The combination with an electric meter of 'a switch comprising a base having two pairs of contact points at each end, the outermost of which are respectively connected withrthe leading-in and service wires of the circuit, electrical connections between the outer contact points at one end with the diagonally op osite innermost points at the other end, e ectrical connections between the innermost contact points at the first named end with the directly 0 posite outermost points at the other en a'lever fulcrumed on said base and having two insulated pairs of contacts at each extremity adapted to. simultaneously engage the contacts at the corresponding end of the base, a solenoid mounted above said base, its core being adapted to cause reversion of the lever each time the solenoid is denergized.

7. The combination with an electric meter of a switch interposed between the leading in and service wires and comprising a base having a plurality of contact points at each end, a lever centrally fulcrumed on said base and having contacts at each extremlty adapted to engage those on the base and a central inverted V-shaped ridge, a solenoid mounted above said lever, a depending wedge ivotally mounted on its core and adapted to engage one of the inclined surfaces of said ridge during the downward movement of the core. a

8. The combination with an electric meter of a switch comprising a base having two pairs of contact oints at each end, the outermost ones 0? which are res ectively connected with the leading-in an service wires of the circuit, electrical connections between the outer contact points at one end with the diagonally opposite innermost points at the other end, electrical connections between the innermost contact oints at the first named end with the directly op osite outermost points at the other end, and suitable means to alternately connect the directly opposite points at each end of the base.

In testimony whereof I have aifirred my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- 'WILLIAM L; SAUNDERS.

Witnesses:

G. J. ROLLANDET,

K. W. G. STUMP. 

